This Time
by keepcalmandshiptiva94
Summary: This time isn't much different than last time, but with the words of an analyst who seems to have all the answers ringing in his mind, he hopes with everything inside of him that this time will be different. Christmas fic. Ellie Bishop is a side character because yeah, I actually like her. Sue me. TxZ.


**I'm going to finish Journey, I promise. For now, you get this. **

A horn blares from a nearby highway.

A woman is scolding her young child for getting too far ahead of her in the crowd.

Two brothers laugh as they talk of all the plans they have once they arrive in Las Vegas.

And off to the side, amidst the noise and among the chatter, Tony DiNozzo sits in a chair waiting for his flight to be announced. He smiles at two children as they pass by with their mother and father, most likely headed to family somewhere. That's what a lot of people are doing, heading to various locations around the country to see relatives they haven't seen in a while. That's what people are supposed to do during this time of year.

It is Christmas, after all.

Someone announces his flight and he grabs his single carry on, boarding the plane. The one he gets on isn't very crowded, and he winds up with a seat by himself. Across the aisle from him, there's a woman who reminds him of the reason that he's on this plane in the first place. She catches his eye and gives him a polite smile, and he smiles back before swiftly looking away. Sighing to himself, he looks out the window, clinging to the item in his pocket for dear life.

In a way, it's fitting, because the object he holds represents what he considers to be his life.

_"I've heard that you used to be quite the... player, Tony," Ellie says about a week before Christmas, raising an eyebrow at him from across the aisle. "But you don't seem that way to me. What gives?" _

_"Look at you, all intuitive. Isn't that in your job description?" he quirks back, giving her a smile and trying to keep from showing how on edge her comment made him. _

_She appraises him for a moment. Then, she swallows, breaking their eye contact. "Was it her? The one that worked here before me? Uh... Ziva, right? I've heard a few things, some rumors about you two. Each department kind of has their own version of the epic story."_

_Tony rolls his eyes a little. "Fantastic." _

_"All of them say that you loved her, and that she loved you, so what happened, if you don't mind me asking?" She shrugs a little at the end of her statement, and he knows the motion is simply to reiterate that yes, it is his choice in the end. He lets out a heavy breath, briefly closing his eyes. _

_"She's back in the place she grew up... for now, I hope. She needed some time. She... went through a lot last year and... needed time." He finishes lamely, wincing at himself for how stupid he sounds. _

_"I'm sorry," she says, and when he meets her eyes, he knows she means it. "But that means she'll come back eventually, right?" _

_"I hope so," he whispers, giving Ellie a sad smile. "Now are we done with twenty questions?" _

_Her expression turns apologetic. "Sorry, being inquisitive actually _is _kind of in my job description." There's a pause in conversation, and his eyes fall to the drawer where Ziva's necklace still rests, and when he looks up, Ellie has on the expression that he's simply labeled as her "thinking" face. "You should go see her, for Christmas. I mean, she'd probably like that, right? Maybe she'll even come back with you?" _

_Tony shrugs, feeling a knot forming in his throat. "I tried everything I could to get her to come back with me in September. It didn't exactly work out very well." _

_Ellie fixes him with a sympathetic look that he has to look away from, but he hears her loud and clear when she sighs and says, "Well, you never know, maybe this time will be different."_

Strange as it seemed, Ellie was the kind of person that you listen to when she speaks, and so, here he is, on an airplane to Israel to see the woman that he left there only three short months ago, and he isn't sure if he's more nervous, scared, or excited, but either way, he feels nauseous.

He books a hotel room in Tel Aviv and is simply planning on getting food and then sleeping, because he isn't nearly ready to find Ziva yet. However, fate believes otherwise, and when he hears her voice behind him at a small restaurant a block from his hotel, his entire being freezes and his heart skips erratically.

He turns around against his better judgment, his heart stopping completely as soon as he sees her.

She hasn't changed a bit, but at the same time, she's changed so much he barely recognizes her. She's talking with someone sitting at a table not too far away, dressed as simply as she was always known to. Her hair is longer, still falling in loose curls down her back. However, all of these details get lost on him, because all he can focus on is the fact that she's_ smiling_.

She's smiling and laughing and she looks happy and _damn it_, maybe this wasn't the best idea. He's about two seconds from turning around and walking briskly away from what he knows now is a mistake when she looks up and their eyes meet.

A thousand emotions file across her face: confusion, shock, and even more in between until she finally settles on something between astonishment and adoration. She tells her friend something and then she's walking toward him, a small smile on her face and _damn it_, he's missed that smile.

She stops right in front of him, appraising him with a curious look. "Fancy seeing you here," she says, and _God_, her voice is like velvet and he'd forgotten how good she sounded. She tilts her head, contemplating briefly before letting her arms come up to wrap around his waist.

His heart tugs painfully at the feeling of her wrapped around him, but he hugs her back without a second thought, his throat closing up and his eyes stinging with moisture. The weight on his chest lifts, and it's only then that he realizes just how heavy it was. His entire body relaxes into her, and her body hums softly at the feeling of him settling comfortably into her arms.

"God, I missed you," he whispers into her hair, leaving his lips pressed there.

She nods against him, relaxing into his embrace as if maybe she, too, had been carrying a weight around without him. "I missed you, too."

He isn't sure how long they stand there, but eventually Ziva pulls away from him and offers to take him back to her place for some "real" food. He accepts, of course, if simply for the fact that she's still smiling at him and there's no way he could say no to that.

An hour and a half later he's helping her wash her dishes, standing beside her in such a comfortable manner, as if it doesn't matter that he left her here months ago. Like it doesn't matter that they haven't seen each other in forever, that they have barely talked to each other.

It's like they never missed a second.

They finish and he turns to her, looking her up and down again. "How have you been?" he asks seriously, leaning back against her counter.

She shrugs a little, pushing herself up onto the counter effortlessly. "I am... better. I think some time away from things was definitely the right decision. I have spent a lot of time doing things I used to love and it has been very... therapeutic." She purses her lips and then she looks up at him. "I missed you, though. And everyone else, of course, as well. Just... especially you."

He swallows, taking a step closer to her. "Yeah, missed you too. It's the funniest thing actually, the girl sitting in your desk now is the one who suggested I come see you for Christmas."

Ziva smirks, her lips quirking up in a smile. "She sounds very intelligent."

Tony rolls his eyes a little. "Oh, yeah, name's Ellie. She's borderline genius, a real thinker type. She has ideas sometimes that throw Gibbs off for a second."

Ziva laughs and the sound echoes in his ears. "That sounds impressive."

Nodding, Tony gives her a small shrug. "I brought you something." Fixing him with a gaze that makes his heart jump, she raises an eyebrow. Tony reaches into his pocket and pulls out her necklace. "Figured maybe... you would want this back."

"I wanted you... to keep it safe for me until I come back." She looks less sure of everything all of a sudden, almost uncomfortable.

"And when do you plan on doing that?" he asks, his stomach turning uncomfortably as the question leaves his lips.

She takes a breath, looking to the side. "I am hoping soon, but... I am not sure. Things are so much easier here."

"Even without having the people you care about around?" Tony snaps without meaning to, wishing he hadn't as soon as the words leave his lips.

Her eyes meet his and there are tears there. "That is certainly a negative side of things." Tony purses his lips and looks away from her, out the window. He feels her hand raise to his cheek, but he can't bring himself to look at her. "I have missed you more than I can ever tell you in words, Tony. But if you came here to try to get me to come back... I am afraid you may leave disappointed again."

His eyes lift slowly to find hers and she's pulling him closer, between her legs, her other hand coming up to mirror the one already on his face. "I'm not sure what I'm doing here, Ziva. Maybe I just wanted to see you, maybe I was hoping that seeing you would... be enough to make me feel better after having to stumble through the past few months. Or maybe I was just hoping this time would end differently."

"I know this is not ideal," she tells him, her hands sliding down to either side of his neck. "But I assure you that when I return, it will be to _you_."

His eyes lock with hers and before he's registered the action, he's wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling himself against her and kissed her with everything he has. She responds almost immediately, her thighs putting just enough pressure on his hips to hold him firmly to her, her hands threading through his hair. She whimpers against him and he can feel himself coming undone at the sound, his entire being burning with desire. For her. Even if she doesn't come home with him this time, either.

He's wide awake, his thoughts running much to wild to allow him the comfort of sleep.

Ziva stirs from where she lay next to him, and his heart tugs because he knows he should unwrap the arm from around her waist, separate himself from her, get himself away from her long enough to get a clear head.

He's almost decided that he's going to give Ellie a new one when he gets back to the office, but then Ziva's sitting up, her hair falling over her shoulders as she looks around. He closes his eyes in hopes of fooling her that he's asleep, but she sighs.

"Tony, I know you are not asleep." He curses internally, sitting up as well. He can feel her eyes on him but he looks instead at his covered lap. "I am sorry."

"Don't apologize," he hears himself saying, feeling a pit forming in his stomach. "It's my fault that I'm even here. I said that I was just wanting to see you, but we both know that I was hoping maybe you would come back with me this time."

He can feel tears stinging his eyes and he blinks hard to try to get rid of them. She's quiet beside him, lost in her thoughts. The silence drags on long enough that it's almost uncomfortable, and he's just about to get up when he hears her take a shaky breath. "Maybe I will."

His eyes snap to hers and the second he realizes she's serious, his jaw drops. "You're serious."

She nods. "I told you earlier that I was hoping to come home soon. I was actually planning on... waiting until after the one year anniversary of my father losing his life, and then seeing about... coming home."

Hearing her refer to D.C. as her home makes his chest tighten and he reaches for her, pulling her into him. "So," he starts, his chin resting on her head. "Should I expect you back at my door near the end of January?"

Ziva laughs a little at his tone, patting his chest with her hand. "I do not want to make promises, just in case, but... yes. I do believe that sounds like a plan."

He just holds her tighter and this time, he doesn't fight the tears that fall down his cheeks.

"How did it go?" Ellie asks when he walks back into the office the Monday after Christmas.

He rolls his eyes at her cheerful optimism, but smiles at her because in all honesty, he can't help it. "It was fine, actually. In fact, come the end of January, there's someone I want you to meet."

Ellie's eyes light up and she grins at him, seeming almost giddy with herself. Then, she raises an eyebrow. "See? I told you maybe this time would be different."


End file.
